Zanna Assassin: Kill Maximum Ride
by AmyQueen95
Summary: There's a new threat to the Flock's saftey now, and she may be the worst one yet. Fang's afraid of her. Angel can't read her mind. Worst of all, her mission in life is to kill Max. Who is she? Meet Zanna, the ten-year-old assassin. Pre-MAX, now complete.
1. Leizanna

**Hello, fellow fanfiction addicts! I am Amy, and I am the Queen of Randomness, intergalactic explorer, friend of the Merfolk, and a whole lot of other crazy things. I'm also an MR fangirl in the extreme. So, watch as I attempt to wow you with a ten-year-old OC assassin and a whole lot of words. Oh, and if you think I own anything, you might want to get yourself psychologically tested. *nods***

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Chapter 1 - Leizanna

Leizanna gasped for air as she ran on the treadmill, her mother shouting through the speakers, "Come on, Zanna, faster!" she yelled.

"I can't, Mama!" Zanna called out hoarsely, "It hurts too much!" She looked through the class window and saw her mother standing there, frowning.

"Do you want _her_ to win?" her mother asked harshly. Zanna shook her head as she ran, her legs aching for her to stop. "Zanna, you need to go faster! You're better than her! You're stronger than her! But you need to run faster!"

Zanna gave out a small cry of pain as she picked up her pace, trying hard not to scream. Mama didn't like it when she showed weakness.

"That's it, Zanna!" Her mama called to her through the speakers. "Even faster!" Zanna increased her speed again, trying to remember her goal. _Don't let her win, don't let her win. _She silently chanted in her head. She couldn't fail now; she had come too far. Mama had promised her that if she passed this last test, she would get her ultimate wish.

Suddenly the treadmill came to a sudden stop, and Zanna leaned on the treadmill in relief. Grabbing her water bottle, she took a long drink. She heard the door fly open, and she turned around to see her mother walking over to her with a huge smile on her face. "Well done, Zanna!" She said, "You not only matched her speed, you surpassed it by another two kilometres per hour!"

Zanna grinned, pleased that Mama was happy. After all, she was the only companion she really had. Her mother continued, "Do you know what this means, Zanna?"

Widening her eyes, Zanna said quietly, "You mean..." her mama nodded, grinning back at her.

"That's right, Zanna," she said, pulling a package from behind her back and handing it to her. Zanna ripped open the package and opened the box. She gave a small gasp, and gingerly picked up the two _sai_ that lay inside the box, their metal glimmering in the light. They almost looked like daggers, except that they were longer, more slender, and had prongs that stuck out from each side. Her eyes flared in excitement, and she held one up in the air so she could examine it carefully.

"It's perfect Mama," Zanna said, slicing one through the air, "I can already see this blade going straight through Maximum Ride's heart."


	2. Gazzy and an iPod

Chapter 2 – Gazzy and an iPod

Word of advice to anyone who knows a mutant voice-imitating bird boy: never, under any circumstances, give him an mp3 player. Ever.

Hey, Max here, and sorry that I had to start off with a warning. I promise you though, it is completely necessary. Let me explain.

After the whole 'Antarctic incident' with global warming and all that jazz, the Flock took a small break from everything,(yes, even mutant freaks get vacation time every so often) so we went to my Mom's house and just spent a couple of weeks hanging out and did nothing. In that two week period, Ella, my beloved but sometimes un-smart sister, bought a new iPod that had more memory space than her old one. Since she didn't need her old one anymore, she gave it to Gazzy, which in turn gave Gazzy a whole new playlist to mutilate. Remind me to kill Ella later.

Anyways, we got a tip off from my handy dandy Voice about a small Itex regrouping out in the Nevada desert that we had to stomp out before they could come back and bite us in the butt.

The trouble started while we were flying somewhere over the great USA, listening to Gazzy's singing and wishing we were deaf. I promise you, you never want to hear the Gasman sing "Hot 'n' Cold" using Fang's voice. Well, maybe once or twice.

"Seriously, Gaz," I groaned as we flew, "How many times do you have to sing that song? It's only fun to humiliate Fang a couple of times!" Fang rolled his eyes at me.

"Gazzy, never mind what I said," Gazzy said, using my voice, "You can sing as much as you want and ignore my idiotic pet peeves!" Then he just kept on singing. I swear, Ella is going to pay for this.

I groaned and looked over at Fang, who was smirking at me. "Shut up." I said, glaring at him.

"I said nothing." He stared at me with those blank eyes, as if he was mocking me. Ugh, he is such a pain sometimes!

Just then Angel flew up next to me. "Max," she said, batting her eyes, "could we please find somewhere to eat soon? I'm hungry."

I nodded. "Sure, sweetie," I said, "We'll stop at the next town we see." I started to scan the ground below, looking for human civilization.

I had spotted out a small town in the distance when I heard Iggy shout from the back, "Max, I think I hear something."

I looked around, checking for Flyboys other dangerous enemies. I saw nothing but sky and clouds. "I don't see anything, Iggy."

Iggy frowned. "But I'm sure there's something. I hear some sort of buzzing, and someone else's breathing. And it sounds really close."

I looked around again, but I still saw nothing. This was strange; Iggy's blindness gave him a one-up on hearing, and he was almost never wrong when it came to noises. But there was nothing there that I could see.

_Max,_ Angel said to me in my head, _I can't feel anyone's mind, so how come he hears breathing?_

_I don't know sweetie._ I replied. I looked over at Fang, who just shrugged.

Suddenly Total, who had I had forgotten was in my backpack, spoke up and startled me. "I think I smell something!" he cried out.

This was confusing. Iggy and Total sense danger, but Angel doesn't. The rest of us normal mutant freaks (oxymoron intended) are just left unsure what to think. What's going on here?

Finally I decided, "I think we should land. Let's land in the woods outside of that town over there." I swooped down towards the woods, my Flock following close behind.

Unfortunately, that was when I flew straight into a Flyboy.


	3. My Little Assassin

Chapter 3 – My Little Assassin

The shock of hitting metal robot sent me flying back in the air a few feet. My head felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to it. Fortunately, I managed to keep my wings flapping as I regained my orientation.

Opening my eyes, I looked around and nearly gasped. All of a sudden we were surrounded by about twenty flyboys, and they had formed a large circle around us and were... holding hands? Spinning around the other way, I realized that the Flyboys were slowly becoming visible, appearing out of thin air. When the last figure in the circle appeared, I was even more surprised: it was a young winged girl, no older than Nudge.

As soon as I saw her I could tell she was trouble. She had a 'dangerous' look about her: she had pale skin and long dark hair that was pulled back into a braid, and she was wearing a sleek black combat outfit. The thing that tipped me off the most, though, was the fire in her eyes. No, her eyes were not _literally_ flaming, but they were filled with a dangerous determination and hatred. Behind her body beat two beautiful dark brown wings.

"Hello, Max." The girl said, venom practically dripping from her voice. "'Enjoy my little invisibility trick? I always thought it was a handy power for them to give me."

"Who are you?" I said, trying my best to match her glare, "And what do you want?"

The girl's mouth curled into a tiny smirk. Breaking the circle, she flew over to me and hovered in front of me. "My name is Leizanna, but Mama calls me Zanna for short. I guess you can call me that too, if you live long enough to use it."

Okay, this chick was starting to annoy me. "You didn't answer my other question, _Zanna_," I said, using her name deliberately, "Now tell us what you want or else I'll punch you halfway to Mexico and destroy your merry little band of Flyboys." Honestly, what was her deal?

Zanna scowled. "I don't like being threatened. Especially not by _you_." She said the word 'you' like it was something dirty.

Suddenly Zanna reached behind her back and pulled something out to swing it at me. Instinctively, I snapped my wings shut and dropped out of reach. When I looked back up, I could see a flash of metal in Zanna's hand. She had tried to pull a knife on me!

Opening my wings again and flapping, I flew back up to the ring of Flyboys and called out to my Flock, "Attack!"

Instantly they lashed out at the Flyboys, kicking their backsides like there was no tomorrow. Soon they were falling from the sky like giant metal raindrops, minus the limbs and wires. Once they had been taken care of, I checked around to make sure everyone was okay. Everyone looked a little shaken up from fighting, but they were fine.

Then I noticed something. "Hey, did anyone see where Zanna went?" Everyone shook their heads.

I was feeling a little suspicious at that point. I three-sixtied the sky, hoping to spot her out. People don't just disappear into thin air, right?

Wrong, I realized. Zanna was invisible when she ambushed us; she was probably hiding herself again. "Hey, Zanna!" I yelled into the air, "Tell your Itex buddies that we can kick your sorry behind any day!"

There was silence for a moment, until finally a yell came from somewhere above me. "You're wrong, Max! You can't beat me! I'm going to kill you because this is all your fault!" Then there was nothing. Wow, apparently this girl could go from cool and collected to a trash-talking brat.

I looked back at the Flock, wanting to see their reaction. Everyone seemed a little unsettled by this whole thing. Even Fang looks extremely uneasy, which really worries me. Who was this girl? Who had sent her?

After a few moments of silence, Angel spoke up, "Should we try to chase her?"

I shook my head. "If she has invisibility powers, I doubt that we'll be able to find her." I looked back at the small town below. "Now, let's go get some food."


	4. Most Dangerous Yet

Chapter 4 – Most Dangerous Yet

"That was so weird!" Nudge exclaimed as we sat in the small restaurant, waiting for our orders to be taken. "Did you see her, Max? She was so scary-looking, and she pulled that huge knife---"

"—Nudge!" I interrupted. A look of remorse came over her face, and she fell silent.

"I know, Nudge." I said, shifting uncomfortably. "She was a bit freaky." Okay, so she was a bit more than a bit freaky. I know I've braved worse, but I mean, come on! She pulled a freakin' _knife_ on me. Besides, she had this weird feel about her, something that made me more nervous than usual. The Flock had felt it too, I could tell. This Zanna character was bad news.

"What are we gonna do about her, Max?" Angel asked.

I took a deep breath and said, "We are going to be on extra alert. Maybe we'll stay put and lie low for a couple of days, just to see what happens."

Fang nodded in agreement. "Where should we go?" he asked.

I looked outside, and saw that the sun was setting now. "How about we camp out in the woods tonight?" I said. Everyone was fine with the suggestion, so we paid our bill with the Max card and then headed out to find the nearest patch of woods. As we walked, I realized how much this whole Zanna thing was getting to me. I kept glancing behind me to see if she was there, and I kept wondering if she was somewhere nearby, waiting to attack.

_You're worried for a good reason, Max. _Oh joy, the Voice.

_What do you mean? _I asked.

_I mean that you should be worried about Leizanna. She's dangerous._

I rolled my eyes. _She tried to kill me with a sharp metal object, Voice. I know that she's dangerous._

The Voice was not amused. _I am serious, Max. She could be the most dangerous enemy yet._

_You're kidding me. A little girl no older than Nudge is my greatest danger? _Surprise, surprise, there was no response. In case you haven't noticed, the Voice isn't big on having complete conversations.

I gave an annoyed sigh, and Fang looked over at me. "Voice?"

I nodded. "I'll tell you later." The six of us continued to walk down the street, resembling a pack of juvenile delinquents. I felt kind of bad walking the tidy streets looking like a hobo, it was a really nice town. Of course, if we stayed here too long it wouldn't be nice for much longer. Just like juvenile delinquents, trouble always followed us wherever we went.


	5. I Spy On You

Chapter 5 – I Spy (On You)

Zanna hid in the trees around the clearing the Flock was camped in as she watched them set up camp and sit around the fire, talking about her. They were definitely uneasy about her, for two main reasons. She was scary to them partially because she was the enemy, and partially because of her special power. It wasn't as strong on the others as it was with _him_, but Mama had promised it would strengthen in time. Besides, _he_ was the only one that she needed to affect strongly.

It was almost disgusting to see how friendly everyone in the Flock was with Max, oblivious to the fact that all of their suffering was her fault. Plus, aside from Fang, they were all strange. The blind one and the little boy were gross, the brown one talked way too much, and the little girl, the 'Angel', was just plain creepy.

As for Max, well, there were so many things that were awful about her. She was selfish, and arrogant, not to mention that it was her fault they were all in this mess in the first place. And her hormone levels! Zanna could feel how infatuated she was with Fang, and it was sickening.

Fang was the only one she somewhat liked, but she had no idea how he could enjoy the company of someone like Max. Fortunately, Zanna thought, Max will be gone soon. He deserved someone better than her. She decided that she would ask Mama to let her keep Fang as company. If she did let him stick around, finding Fang a better girlfriend would be on Zanna's list of priorities.

In the meantime, she had to stay focussed. She had to make sure that they were scared of her, and she had to make sure that she had an advantage over them. She needed to know their fears, their weaknesses, and what could make them snap. It was at times like this that Zanna wished that her powers were fully developed; she could have had this stage of the plan over with ages ago.

But she could wait; patience was one of the many traits she had developed over the years. After all, she had waited these ten years of her life to be allowed to carry out her life's purpose, and she was still waiting for the moment that she could drive one of her _sai _through Max's heart. If only she had been allowed to kill her today, instead of just scaring her.

Alas, Mama said that the Flock was to be brought in alive. Max's blood would be shed soon enough. For now, she must simply focus on her mission: _Break Fang's spirit, capture the Flock, and then you can kill Maximum Ride._


	6. Went for Pizza and Got

Chapter 6 – Went for Pizza and Got…

Despite my decision to 'lay low' and wait to see what happens, the younger kids still managed to convince me to take them to dinner in town. So much for being inconspicuous. "Yeah, I'd like to order a large pepperoni pizza and a bag of garlic sticks for each of us. Oh, and can you forget you've ever seen us?" That poor pizza parlor worker was going to be so confused after Angel was done with him. Hmmm… I wonder if Angel is using her mind powers every time she's making eyes at me to convince me of something.

_Would I do that to you Max?_ Angel asked innocently.

_I'm not quite sure, and that's part of the problem._ I glared at Angel, who just smiled with the same innocent expression. I really hope she doesn't become a rebellious teenager.

I was about to ask the others where we ought to eat in the morning when suddenly a loud, terrified scream rang out down the street. I was about to go find whoever screamed when Fang put his hand on my shoulder, "Remember the last time you helped an innocent bystander?" he said. I rolled my eyes and ran off to find out who needed help.

I scrambled to find the source of the distress cry as I sprinted down the street. Another shriek filled the air, and I was finally able to trace the source of distress to a crumbly brick garage standing next to an old house. I flung the door open and ran inside, followed by the Flock, and found, surprise surprise, Zanna holding a woman hostage with one of her weird knives pressed up against her throat. "So good to see you again, Max," Zanna said sarcastically.

"Let the lady go, Zanna," I ordered, "she hasn't done anything. I know it's me you want."

"Glad you were listening." Zanna withdrew her knife and put it back in the weird sheath strapped to her back. Once the lady had dashed out the garage door, I made my move at Zanna, who dodged me and delivered a hard karate chop to my back. I fell hard against the broken concrete, the wind getting knocked out of me momentarily. Fortunately, the others had me covered, and they started taking shots at Zanna and backing her into a corner.

I got back on my feet and joined in on the kung-fu fest. It was actually amazing how Zanna managed to defend herself against six kids and a dog single-handedly; no doubt her fighting skills were way more advanced than mine, but I knew she couldn't keep it up forever…

…Unless, of course, she pulled out those stupid pronged knives and takes a swing at Fang and Iggy, which is what jus just did. Before they could even react to the wounds in their sides, she kicked Iggy down and escaped her corner, turning on Nudge from behind and slashing through her wings and back. Nudge screamed loudly and then spun around to deliver Zanna a solid punch in the eye. That's my girl.

Zanna, though, was still up and running, and managed to get in a few more cuts with those knives/swords/prongs of hers before I finally manage to pin her up against one of the crumbly brick walls of the garage, which were every bit as unstable as they looked. Before I could react the wall gave way and we fell through the crumbly hole together.

"Ow!" She yelped as she went through the wall and hit the ground, with me following right after. I fell directly onto her chest, knocking the air out of her and causing her yes to bug out of her head for a moment and make her look like a squeaky toy. I scrambled up off of her just as the Flock ran outside through the door to see what had happened.

"Are you okay?" Gazzy asked me. I didn't answer him; instead I looked down at Zanna, who was struggling to get air into her lungs.

For a few seconds she just laid on the ground, wheezing and panting (apparently I'm heavier than I thought), but once her breathing evened out she whispered to me, "You guys are really into teamwork, aren't you?" She smirked up at me. "Too bad it won't last." Then she closed her eyes and drifted off to slumber land, or wherever you go after being sent through a brick wall.

Everyone was silent for a while as we stood in a weird circle around the unconscious body of my would-be assassin, until finally I broke the silence. "Well," I spoke up, "that wasn't the worst, I guess." There were a few grunts and sighs in response, but then everyone fell silent again. "Come on," I said, "let's get out of here. Fang, pick her up and we'll take her with us."

"Do we have to take such an unpleasant hostage?" Total whined.

I nodded. "She might have information about whoever sent her." I looked over at Fang, who was staring at Zanna's sprawled form on the ground with apparent fascination. "Fang," I said softly. There was no response. "Hello, Fang?" he finally noticed I was talking to him, and again I asked him to pick Zanna up. He nodded slightly, and then scooped Zanna up into his arms.

We were all quiet as we made our way back to our campsite, partially because we were all sore from the incident and partially because there was this unspoken sense of disturbance that had fallen over all of us after this whole ordeal. I also noticed that Fang never took his eyes off of Zanna the entire walk back.


	7. Now What?

**Hello, my 3.23 readers! Thank you for giving me the time of day, hard work is much more rewarding when people care to appreciate it (though it's for my benefit as much as yours), especially since it took me forever to get around to finishing this one...**

**Which brings me to another point. May I present to you story time with Amy!**

**"Once upon a time, there was a happy little fangirl named Amy who was addicted to fanfiction. Now, one day Amy got a really nifty fanfiction idea in her head, in fact, she had many. However, as an aspiring writer and a Word Nerd, Amy also had standards (it's probably a foreign concept for many fanfictioners, but bear with me here). So, because she wanted to write a fanfiction and retain some quality of writing, she made a detailed outline of the story, wrote the story, and then edited the story. Then she posted part of it on so that it wouldn't just sit in her computer for all eternity. **

**"The End."**

**I guess the point of that was just to say that I have the entire story written already, but I'm gonna torture you by making you wait for the rest of it. After all, I want to have a little bit of fun too. *smiles* Enjoy today's chapter.**

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Chapter 7 – Now What?

When we were back in the woods, we started a fire and were all sitting around it, trying to figure out what to do with our prisoner. Iggy had bandaged us up, and while there wasn't any life threatening injuries, we were in no shape to fly. We were going to be here longer than I thought. "So do you think we should let her go?" Nudge asked. "I mean, she's just a kid, and when she's bruised and unconscious and tied to that tree she doesn't look so bad. We could just untie her and steal her weapons and leave before she wakes up."

"We can't, Nudge," I said, "we're not going to be ready to fly until the end of the week, and you know how much damage she can do."

"Yeah," said Gazzy, "but I kind of get what Nudge means, about her not seeming so bad. She isn't as scary when she's out cold."

I had to agree that Zanna seemed a whole lot less scary right now. With her head flopped onto her rope-bound chest, her hair falling out of her braid, she looked like a normal, albeit bruised, little kid. I almost felt sorry for her.

Fortunately, I was smart enough not to buy it. "It doesn't matter how she looks," I said, stretching out one of my bloodied wings and motioning to it, "we know the damage we can do. I say that we keep her prisoner until further notice, and maybe question her about why she's after us. My guess is that she's from Itex." Everyone nodded and muttered their agreement, minus Fang, who was looking at Zanna with a strange expression on his face. Something was up with him, I decided, and I made a mental note to talk to him later.

"I think that we should clean up and go back into town for some food." I finally decided. "Seeing as our last attempt to get dinner was interrupted."

"We probably should leave someone here with Zanna though." Iggy pointed out.

"I'll stay." Fang offered quietly.

"Are you sure?" I asked as the others started to walk away. Fang nodded.

"Okay then, "I said, "We'll bring you back something." Then I followed the others into the woods and towards town.

Zanna groaned as her senses slowly returned. Max and her Flock had really done a number on her. Or maybe it had been the brick wall. Either way, she hurt like crazy. Revenge will come in due time, she reminded herself. Lifting her head slowly, she took in her surroundings. Everyone was gone except for Fang, who sat on the ground, deep in thought. Good, Zanna thought, he was still recovering from her previous effect. Now was the perfect time to strike.


	8. Fang?

**Ah, yet another chapter in the story. You know, writing has to be one of the best art forms on earth. If you know the words, you can tell people what you think and how you feel. It's another dimension of understanding. Also, you can learn a lot about people---including yourself---based on what they write. [/deep thought]**

**Hmmm... well, enough with that train of thought. Here's your chapter!**

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Chapter 8 – Fang?

It was about half an hour before we got back to the campsite with food for Fang. The local fast food joint had been woefully under-employed, so it had taken a while for them to cook up our, uh, larger than usual order. Oh, and then there was also an old lady who stopped us in the middle of the street on our way back and asked us if we were being beaten at home. I guess some people aren't used to seeing heavily bruised children walking down the street.

Anyways, knowing our mutant-sized appetites, I was expecting Fang to tackle me and rip the grease-stained bag out of my hands when I got back. Instead, Fang was nowhere to be seen. "Fang!" I called, rattling the food bag in the air, "We come bearing food!" There was silence. "Fang?" I called again.

"Maybe he just doesn't want to hang out with you." Zanna said snidely from her tree. "I sure don't want to." Oh great, I thought, the little darling was awake.

"Just be quiet, little miss assassin." Zanna scowled at me, but I ignored her. I finally spotted Fang in the distance, sitting on a log. "I'm going to see what's up with him," I told Iggy, "you're in charge while I'm gone."

"Is that such a good idea?" Iggy asked.

"Which, talking to Fang or leaving you in charge?"

Iggy rolled his eyes at me. "Haha. I meant talking to Fang. He seemed a bit quiet earlier, even for him."

"I know, which is why I _should _talk to him." Iggy shrugged, and then wandered towards Gazzy. I took off into the woods and over to Fang's new thinking spot.

"Hey, "I said as I came closer. He didn't turn around, but shrugged his shoulders a bit in acknowledgement. "You know, I should probably lay into you about leaving the prisoner unguarded." I said jokingly. Fang grunted, but said nothing.

I sat down next to him on the log. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," Fang replied, his eyes still staring down at the ground.

I wasn't buying this. "Fang," I said more firmly, "you've been acting weird ever since Zanna showed up. You seem… distant. Even by your standards." He looked up at me and our eyes met for a moment.

At that moment I knew that something was wrong here. For those who haven't seen them, Fang's eyes are usually dark, empty pools that revealed nothing, but at that moment when I looked into his eyes I saw something in his stare that I had never seen before: raw pain. I had seen it before in various Flock members, at various painful moments in their lives, but never had Fang shown pain, at least, not in an obvious way.

Fang must have seen the concern in my eyes, because he turned away from me and stared downwards again. Okay, this whole 'keep your eyes down' thing he was doing was annoying me and worrying me at the same time. "Fang, what's wrong?"

He remained silent for a moment, and then he sighed. "I can't tell you."

"You can't tell me? Fang, we tell each other everything."

"I mean it Max, I can't tell you."

"Fang---"I reached over to touch his shoulder, but he jumped up from his seat and stared at me with this freaked out expression. "Yeesh," I said, "Why are you so on edge?" Fang is the king of calm and collected, he didn't get nervous like this. What could cause him to act like this? I wondered.

"Look," Fang said, his voice trembling slightly, "I'm just fine. I'll take first watch tonight." Then he went back to camp, leaving me more confused than ever.


	9. I Dream of Zanna

Chapter 9 – I Dream of Zanna

_It was foggy when I woke up in the middle of the night. I vaguely remember falling asleep earlier, but everything was still fuzzy in my mind as I stood up and looked around. I was all alone in the clearing, not even our supplies were left behind. Where had everyone gone, and why wasn't I taken with them? Everything seemed so much darker and scarier when I was alone. I had never realized that before._

"_Fang?" I called out, "Angel? Iggy? Gazzy? Nudge? Total? Hello?" I spun around slowly, listening for someone to reply, for anyone to reply. I was so alone, and I didn't dare leave the clearing, the forest was encased in darkness that threatened to eat me alive. Even the sky seemed dark and evil, encroaching on me and pinning me to earth. I was trapped, with nowhere to go. "Where is everyone?" I yelled out pointlessly. I knew that no one could hear me._

_Suddenly a loud and ominous giggling filled my ears, filling my entire being with a feeling I can only describe as pure anger. I immediately knew who it was. "Where are you Zanna?" I screamed, "Come out so I can see you or I'll rip you to shreds!" _

"_I told you I don't like being threatened, Max." Zanna appeared in front of me, but at this point I was too busy seething with anger to be afraid of her reappearing act. But how had she gotten free? I wondered._

"_What do you want with me?" I asked. _

_Zanna snorted with amusement. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to destroy you. That is my one purpose in life Max. I. Will. Destroy you." Zanna pulled out her two pronged knife-like things, which flashed brightly even though there wasn't any light for them to reflect. "They're called 'sai' Max," she said with an educated dignity, "and I am an expert with them. They're not traditional sai, mind you, because their shafts are blades, but it's so much easier having a sharp edge to work with."_

_How had she known that I hadn't known what those things were called? "What are you, a mind reader?" I asked with annoyance. As if we needed another one of those hanging around._

"_My powers are still under development. Fortunately, I should have my full powers by the time I'm your age." _

"_Well that's just---"I was cut off by Zanna's attempt to slash my side with one of her sai. "Hey!" I yelled._

_Zanna smirked at me. "I nearly caught you off guard. I'd tell you to be more careful, but that would be pointless."_

"_Why? You think that you can take me down?" I asked incredulously. _

_Just as suddenly as Zanna appeared she was gone. I spun around, frantically hoping to spot her. "No! Don't leave me!" I screamed hysterically. I don't understand why, but I wished that she would come back, if only so I wasn't alone. When I was alone, I was vulnerable; the darkness could slither around me and slowly choke the life out of me. _

_I felt tears streaking down my face and my breathing grew ragged as I began yelling for someone to help me. Soon, I was screaming for only one person. "Fang!" I cried over and over at the top of my lungs, "Where are you, I need you!" _

_Suddenly I wasn't alone anymore, but I had the blade Zanna's sai pressed against my throat now. I could feel Zanna's breathing behind me, which was calm in comparison to my uneven breaths. She chuckled evilly at me, saying, "Don't you see, Max? I control you, because I control your heart. I've made your greatest strength your greatest weakness, and so now I will destroy you." _

_For the first time I realized that I was powerless to do anything against her. She had total control over me, and she was going to kill me. She was going to destroy me by destroying the most important thing in my life: she was going to destroy Fang. _

I felt the blade of Zanna's sai cut into my throat just as Fang woke me up. "Max," he called softly as he shook my shoulder, "It's your turn to watch."

I breathed a sigh of relief as my eyes fluttered open. It had all been a dream. A terrible, terrible dream, far worse than any I had ever had about the school, or about Ari, or about everyone dying. This had been worse because none of my loved ones had been there at all. It had just been me and Zanna in the darkness, and I had been at her mercy. She had control over me in the dream, and I had been powerless to do anything. Alone and powerless were two things I hated to be.

I crawled up off of the ground and nodded at Fang. I couldn't help notice, though, that he still looked extremely tortured. In fact, he looked worse than before. "Are you feeling alright?" I asked him. He nodded, but he refused to look me in the eyes. I was starting to wonder why he was having problems making eye contact lately, and why he seemed to have lost his overall Fang-ishness. It was really concerning me now.

I sat down next to the camp fire that Fang had kept going during the night, watching Fang as he settled down on the ground and tried to fall asleep. It took him longer than usual to fall asleep, and even when he did doze off, I could tell that he wasn't sleeping very well. Something was up with him, and I had no idea what it was. I was determined to find out what wrong, though, especially after the dream. I don't know why, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Zanna was behind the dream, and that she had meant every single word of what she had said to me.


	10. Do Unto Max

**Aw, look at how short today's chapter is! *sniff sniff* So sad... How about I make up for it with some of my special Amy words:**

Waligamist - Someone who is attracted to multiple walls. Don't ask why I have need of such word, it's complicated.

Dipwad - Term of insult/indearment, depending on the situation.

Dunkwad - Like dipwad, except all insult.

Dorkwad - A cross between dipwad and dunkwad; it's less insulting if the person it's being used on considers themself a Dork.

Confuzzled - Synonymous to 'confused'.

MGPDMFS - Haha, wouldn't you like to know. Just remember, next time you're stalked by an interweb creep or are followed around by a weirdo, scream/type "MGPDMFS!!!" and then go hide in a closet.

**Okay, now on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 10 – Do Unto Max…

I glanced over at Zanna, who seemed to have fallen asleep with a smug expression on her face. Yeah right.

"Okay, sleeping beauty," I said sarcastically, "I know you're not really asleep."

Zanna's eyes flickered open instantly. She grinned at me. "I knew I couldn't fool you. What's the matter, Max? You don't look so good. Having bad dreams?" the fiery look in her eyes seemed to burn into my skull, telling me everything I had already suspected: Zanna was behind my dream, and she was going to hurt Fang.

I decided to spend some time interrogating her. "I bet you're feeling really smug right now." I did my best to glare back at her with the same intensity she had, which made my eyes burn a little. "So," I started, "you obviously weren't taking a nap while I was asleep. What did you do to Fang?"

"Fang?" she said with feigned innocence in her voice, "why would I ever do anything to him?" she batted her eyelashes. "He's quite pleasant to be around, actually, though he has a terrible taste in girls." Oh no she didn't, I thought, trying my best not to snarl.

"Listen, grasshopper," I said, "you're not the big tough ninja assassin you think you are. I could crush you in a second, and don't you forget it."

Zanna glared at me. "Careful Max," she warned, "or I'll do to you what I did to Fang." Then she bowed her head down and closed her eyes, giving me the message: she was done talking for tonight. I sighed, and then sat back down again. I wasn't getting anything else out of her tonight.

* * *

**In the Fanfiction Cave! [insert Batman music here]**

Amy smirked as she posted the next chapter on . "It's fun putting people in torment," she said, feeling very smug.

"You evil little girl," said Fang-wa, the alien-raised Fang clone. "Do you enjoy putting me in agony?" He asked, clutching at his heart dramatically.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Amy said, turning to BBB the Mermaid, who was lounging in the nearby moon pool that was built into the cave. "What do you think, BBB, should I stop tormenting Fwa and the other fanfictioners?"

Rose shrugged, "Nah, you might as well enjoy the power you have over them."

"Noooo!" Screamed Fwa, who fell to the floor again, writhing like he had a squirrel stuck in his small intestine. "Why do you cause me this pain? I'm going into withdrawal!"

"It serves you right for not updating your H2O-MR fanfiction more regularly," Amy said, sticking her nose up in the air. "Let's go, BBB!" she said to the mermaid, and with a snap of her fingers Amy grew a purple tail and dove into the moon pool. The two mermaids swam away together, leaving Fang-wa to cough up blood and scream for an update.


	11. Escape By Breakdown

**Aw man! Sorry I forgot to update yesterday! I had a good reason, I swear! It involved Shakesphere, an awkward fake date, and running around the house in a velvet cape! **

***cough* Anywaaaays, I decided to make up for it by posting an extra chapter today. Hope you like it!**

* * *

Chapter 11 – Escape by Breakdown

The rest of the night was uneventful, and once Iggy relieved me of my duty I was able to get a decent amount of rest, despite what had gone on earlier that evening. I was grateful for the deep, dreamless sleep. Looking back, it was almost as if my body had sensed how much I was going to need that extra rest in the morning.

Our day started off fairly normal, normal for us anyways. Iggy had put something over the fire to cook while he re-bandaged all of our wounds and made sure we were all healing properly. "It's feeling a lot better," Iggy confirmed, "but we still could use a couple more days, I think." Then he dished out breakfast, which we hungrily devoured.

I had just finished eating when Angel asked me, _Max? Shouldn't we feed Zanna? She hasn't eaten anything since we caught her._

_Do we have to? _I complained jokingly. Angel glared at me, obviously not finding it very funny. _Okay, okay, _I told her, _I'll get her something to eat. _"Hey, Zanna!" I called over to her, "do you want us to untie you so you can eat?"

"No, it's alright," Zanna said mildly, "because I've just untied myself."

No sooner than she had said that she suddenly jumped at me from her tree, her ropes cut cleanly through and her sai back in her murderous hands.

Fang, who had been sitting near the edge of our camp, jumped up and pinned her back against the tree trunk, battling to hold her hands and knives up above her head so she was unable to slash at anyone. Zanna struggled to free herself from him, but Fang had the advantage of height and strength, which left Zanna in an impossible position.

She stopped struggling, and for a moment I thought that she had just resigned to the fact that she had no way of escaping Fang's death grip. Instead, she stared up into his eyes with focused intensity, as if she was trying to hypnotize him.

Instinctively, I stepped forward. "Fang, look away," I told him. He didn't seem to hear me, because he was still focused on Zanna.

"Fang!" I repeated, to no avail. What was going on here? I couldn't see the look on Fang's face from the angle I was at, but I could see Zanna's face; her fiery eyes continued to bore into Fang's, and the corner of her mouth was turned up in a small smirk. All of this had happened over a span of five seconds, but it seemed like I waited an eternity, expecting Fang to throw Zanna to the ground and kicking the sai out of her hands. But that was what Fang would normally do, and this wasn't normal Fang. I had to do something, and I had to do it now.

I was about to intervene when suddenly Fang drew back violently from Zanna, as if he had been struck. He tumbled back as Zanna came free and jumped into the air, spreading her wings and taking off. "This is your fault Max!" Zanna yelled as she flew away. "It's all your fault!"

Iggy and Nudge took off after her, leaving the rest of us standing there, wondering what just happened. I spun my head around to look at Fang to find him standing there, his chest heaving and sweat dripping from his brow. It was a moment before he realized that we were staring at him, but then he looked straight into my eyes, and in that moment I could see the confusion and terror that was plaguing him. Before I could react he turned around and ran into the forest.

I immediately ran after him. "Fang!" I yelled, "Come back!" I desperately tried to find him amongst the trees, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Fang!" I called again, and then sighed. If he didn't want to be found nobody would be able to find him. Reluctantly I turned away and walked back to camp.

"Okay guys," I told Angel, Gazzy, and Total, "I guess we'll just have to wait for him to come back. Could you tell what was wrong with him, Angel?"

Angel shook her head. "I think Zanna blocked out both of their thoughts." She

I heard two light thumps behind me as Nudge and Iggy touched down. "We couldn't catch her," Iggy said. Then he noticed, "Hey, where's Fang?"

Nudge gasped. "Omygosh! Did Zanna come back and take Fang---"

"No," I cut Nudge off, "Fang just needed some time alone. He'll be back later," I looked back into the woods where he had vanished, "I hope."

* * *

**[insert dramatic music] Oh no!!! A little girl made Fang cry! *sniffle* What will happen now? Well, you _could_ read the other couple of chapters to find out... unless you enjoy putting yourself in agony. **

**Random Fact of the Day: Today I licked a piece of gum stuck to the back of a seat because my friend Ben didn't think I'd do it. *beams***


	12. Terrified

Chapter 12 - Terrified

Fang remained huddled against the roots of a gnarled oak tree as he struggled to recompose himself after he had basically had an emotional breakdown in front of Max and the others. He would never admit this to anyone, but he was terrified of Zanna. He was terrified of the power she had over him, and the power she had over the others. She had the power of fear.

It had been hours since the incident had occurred, and it was now getting dark in the forest. Fang wasn't as worried about staying invisible now as he was before. The shadows of the evening provided him with extra cover from the searching eyes of Max, who kept glancing back into the woods to see if she could spot him.

Fang was scared of Max too. He knew that it was Zanna's fault that he couldn't stand to be near his best friend, but that didn't make Max any less frightening. It was a pathological fear, and it would only go away when the Zanna effect faded.

Just then Fang hear a twig snap behind him, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end. _It was her._ He quickly turned around to try and defend himself, but he was too late. The last thing he saw was the glint of a blade. Then there was nothing.


	13. He Can't Go With You

Chapter 13 – He Can't Go With You

We decided to leave the next morning in case she made it back to Itex and told them where we were, even though we were still in pretty rough shape. Our wings were mostly healed, so that wasn't too bad. What was bad, however, was the fact that Fang still hadn't returned to camp by the time morning came around. I looked out at the forest as the others packed up camp, hoping that Fang would come out from behind a tree and tell me that everything was alright. He didn't step out, though. He didn't seem to be there at all.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned around to see who it was. It was Iggy. "Max, we're ready to leave."

"But Fang…" I trailed off.

"If he's still out there he knows that we're leaving," Iggy said, "if he's not out there he'll either catch up with us or we'll wind up rescuing him."

"But we can't just leave without him!" I couldn't believe Iggy was suggesting that we leave without my second in command and best friend!

_Is he really just a friend, Max?_

I groaned loudly when the Voice popped out of nowhere, causing Iggy to give me a strange look. "It's the Voice," I explained, "It's tormenting me again." I turned away from him to focus on what the Voice was saying. _What do you want, Voice?_

_I'm only here to tell you that you need to leave without Fang. He isn't able to go with you._

I was confused by this instruction. _What do you mean he can't go with us?_

_Zanna has moved to the next phase of her plan, Max. Be careful, or you could end up like Fang._

_What do you mean end up like Fang? _The Voice didn't answer, and I sighed. These vague tip-offs were often unhelpful and annoying. I was also really concerned for Fang. Had Zanna done something to him? Did it have anything to do with my dream?

I decided to give up on thinking for a while, and instead focused on getting my flock going. "Come on, guys," I told everyone, "We need to keep moving."

"What about Fang?" asked Gazzy.

"He'll catch up later." I said, reassuring him. If only I could have believed what I was saying.


	14. Nevada Desert

**Hello to the lovely peoples on the interweb! What's your opinion on show tunes? How about show tunes sung in the grocery store? How about a teenage girl and her mom singing show tunes in the grocery store? *sigh* Ah, mother-daughter bonding time... *smiles fondly***

**This chapter title reminds me of Relient K's awesome new song 'Sahara'. *nods* Do you like Relient K? I like Relient K a bunch. I really like them. In fact, I love them! I love them THIS much! *stretches arms for emphasis***

**Wow, I must be in a musical mood first show tunes then Relient K... do you think Matt Thiessen would star in my personal production of Phantom of the Opera if I sent him a jar of peanut butter? *ponders***

* * *

Chapter 14 – Nevada Desert

It took us a couple more days to make it to Nevada, and then we stayed an extra day in Las Vegas because Iggy liked feeling the different colors and the kids wanted to look around. I think they were just trying to get me to take a break before moving on to our next big showdown so the last of our injuries could heal and I could get some extra rest while the others were touring the city.

It was really stressful not having Fang around. Sure, we had been separated before, but at least last time I had known where he was. For all I knew, he was injured right now, or captured, or hypnotized by the little she-devil. It was driving me nuts not knowing if Fang was safe. I still managed to hold everything together, though, and whenever things got difficult (which was often) I'd remind myself that this was a temporary setup. Fang would be back soon. Wouldn't he?

After we left Las Vegas (the younger three wearing flashy new tourist t-shirts) we flew over the vast desert, trying to locate the Itex building. The Voice had left me with pretty precise coordinates, but I suspected that if this was the last Itex branch it would be well hidden.

Eventually we grew tired of searching and gave up in the evening to get some sleep. I decided against starting a fire when we were so close to the enemy, since it would only let them know we were nearby. We decided to be extra safe this time, so we made a little cave-like shelter by digging out a shallow hole, covering it with a tarp, and then covering the tarp with sand. We were almost impossible to spot when we were hidden underneath, but just to be safe I decided to keep watch anyways.

It was probably one of the worst night watches I've ever had. Not only was I squished below the ground with little to no breathing space (with Gazzy, no less!) I was going to have to do a double watch because Fang was AWOL, and trust me, a sleepy Max was the last thing anyone wanted.

After about two hours I felt so sweaty and smothered from being under the tarp that I crawled out from our little shelter and stood outside, watching the desert. There was a cool breeze blowing across the sand, and even though I shivered it still felt really nice. I opened my wings a little to let them air out, and I stood there for a while, closing my eyes and letting the desert wind rush past my face. For the first time since Fang left, I was able to relax.

Fang. I felt my cold cheeks grow hot thinking about him. Lately I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in the forest, about how scared and vulnerable he had looked. I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that a ten-year-old had made him cry almost inexplicably. What was Zanna's secret? She surpassed Angel in creepiness, sent Fang running like a little boy, and me… what did she do to me? Scare me? I wasn't quite sure if 'scared' covered how I felt. She made me feel angry, annoyed, anxious, paranoid, uncomfortable, and terrified all at the same time. She made me feel… emotional?

I finally gave up on trying to find the right word, though I decided that I'd check out a thesaurus later. Maximum Ride may have worried about being beaten by a little girl, but at least no one could say her vocabulary was lacking.

_Just make sure that those words aren't written on your tombstone, Max._

Oh great, another disruption to my attempt to enjoy the Nevada ambience. _Okay Voice, I get your point. Zanna's dangerous. She can scare stone walls away and wants to murder me in my sleep._

_No she doesn't, Max, _the Voice warned me, _that would be no fun. She wants to toy with you, rip out your metaphorical heart before she stabs through your real one._

I scowled. _Stop talking in riddles, Voice._

_Just be prepared for what's about to happen. No matter how low Zanna brings you, you must overcome your weakness and turn it into strength again._

_What do you mean? _

_I'm sorry, Max. _The Voice was silent after that.

Now I was even more confused. What was the Voice sorry for? Was something going to happen? My mind was racing with questions now, and I knew there was no way I was going to relax and enjoy the evening scenery now.

I was about to crawl back under the tarp when I felt something clamp down on both of my arms.

* * *

**Oh no! What will happen next?! Well, unless you're a continentally ranging mind reader---or stalking me---there is no way for you to know. So, to take your mind off of your INTENSE agony (note the sarcasm) here's another...**

**Story Time with Amy!!!**

Once upon a time there was a happy little girl named Amy who loooooved using the interwebs. In fact, most of her best friends were on the internet, a fact not appreciated by most safety-conscious parents. One day Amy's friend Siv the hamster was on a social networking site when he got randomly instant messaged by some dude who was probably from Scotland (we're not quite sure). He was making indirectly perverted comments towards Siv (his hamstery user pic was a few years old, making him look like a vulnerable little hamster that internet stalkers would love to prey on) and really creeped Siv out. He told Amy and their mermaid friend BBB about it, and Amy, who loved to give people nicknames, said, "It's a MGPDMFS!" (What it actually stands for only Amy, Siv, and BBB will ever know) and the two girls continued to be entertained as poor Sivvy was tormented by they MGPDMFS. After a while Amy started to feel sorry for Siv, and so she teleported to Scotland and said, "You are a disgusting MGPDMFS!" Then she beat him over the head with a waffle until he turned green and agreed to stop preying on vulnerable young hamsters online.

The End.

**That was a mostly true story. *nods***


	15. Capture and a Killing

**This chapter will probably put you in the most torment yet. It might possibly make you cry and/or want to kill me. However, should you try to harm me in any way, I promise you that I will survive, and that I will deal with you in the harshest way possible. The punishment will quite possibly involve pie, sporks, and 80s pop music, so if you're smart you won't try to kill me.**

**Enjoy the chapter! *smirks***

* * *

Chapter 15 – Capture and a Killing

I struggled against the Flyboy that had grabbed onto my upper arms, but my jerks and kicks were lost on the impenetrable metal of its exoskeleton, leaving me to watch in horror as another ring of Flyboys ghosted into view out of the emptiness of the desert.

The army of Flyboys quickly ripped the tarp off the ground, exposing the Flock like bugs under a rock. They put up a fierce fight, but even though I had shouted to them they had been caught off-guard by the enemy's sudden presence. Soon we were all being held back by our own personal Flyboy.

"Where is that junior ninja?" Total yelped from the arms of his Flyboy, "Let me at her!"

"Easy, Total!" Angel called to him.

"Yeah," Zanna said, suddenly appearing in front of us, "you really need to calm down."

"Zanna," I seethed.

Zanna smirked at me. "Miss me, Max?"

I tried not to lose my cool. Getting angry would only make Zanna happy, because she was like a cat with a mouse; she enjoyed toying with her prey to get a reaction. Instead, I put on a sickly sweet smile and said, "Why, of course, Zanna dearest! We've missed you _so_ much since you left!"

"Yeah right," Zanna snorted, "and you've been sending me post cards in the mail."

"Hope you liked the one we sent from Vegas," I countered back, "we bought it from the hotel with the big pyramid."

This time, however, Zanna was not amused. "Look, I'm not here to be sarcastic," she said, giving me a dirty look, "I'm here to take you down once and for all."

"So… you didn't like the post card?"

"Shut up!" Zanna screamed at me, and I smirked. This girl could mess with your emotions, but I was finding her to be very emotional herself. It was very unprofessional for an assassin. "You shouldn't mess with me, Max," she said, her eyes flaring wildly, "or you'll end up like Fang."

I felt like I had been struck with one of her sai. "Tell me what you've done with him," I snarled, "or I'll shred you in two with my fingernails."

I cursed inwardly as Zanna's face lit up with amusement as my emotions flared. "I'm not sure you want to know what I've done with him," she told me, "especially in front of the children. It's a shame really. I thought Fang was nice. He deserved better than all of this."

I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "What have you done with him?" I asked, almost afraid to know.

"What do you think?" reaching into her jacket, Zanna pulled out a small zip lock bag. Inside of the bag was a lock of dark hair about three inches long. It was caked in blood.

"No…" I trailed off. My worst fear had just come true.

Zanna had killed Fang.


	16. Murderer

**Aw, another short one. *is sad* Hmmm... I think I'll upload an extra chapter after this one! Enjoy your bonus torment!**

* * *

Chapter 16 – Murderer

Instantly my adrenaline kicked in and I was seeing red. Zanna had murdered Fang, _my_ Fang! She had broken him and had brought him down. She had weakened him, humiliated him, and had taken him away from me forever.

Zanna was officially standing on her gravesite.

"You!" I screeched savagely. I could practically feel my eyes glow with hatred.

Zanna shrugged, as if killing Fang was like swatting a fly. "It was a necessary evil," she said, "and if it takes you down, it's worth it." Then she _smiled_! She freakin' smiled at me! She murdered my best friend in the entire world and now she's _smiling_ about it?

That was when I snapped completely. I went into overdrive, spinning around suddenly and swinging my Flyboy with me, causing it to knock over three other bots and release my arms. Suddenly free, I lunged at Zanna, who expertly dodged me and came back around behind me, hitting me squarely in the back and sending me to the ground.

I hit the sand hard, which knocked the air clean out of my lungs. I tried to lift my head to gasp, but before I could Zanna pushed me down with her foot, causing me to inhale sand. She laughed as I coughed up the sand and tried to catch my breath. "Don't try to fight me, Max," Zanna said, "I know that you're falling apart without Fang. I can feel it."

I may have looked like an idiot at that moment, with my face in the sand and my body sprawled across the ground, but I would not give Zanna the satisfactory of being right. "You may have taken my right hand man away from me," I said hoarsely, "but as long as there are freaks like you to defeat, I will never fall apart." I tried to turn my head to see Zanna's expression, but before I could get a good look her foot connected with my face and everything went black.


	17. In The Dark

**Did you know that you can donate one pint of blood every 56 days? A combination of a random interest in blood transfusions and the lonelygirl15 series caused me to research blood donation. *nods***

* * *

Chapter 17 – In The Dark

Once everything went black, it stayed black for a long time. Not that I was unconscious for a really long time (as far as I knew), it's just that I woke up in a pitch black room. Like, extremely pitch black, with zero lighting and no way to see where I was. My head ached like crazy and my forehead was tender, but after a few minutes I was able to stand up and walk around.

I felt my way around the room, examining every wall and corner for a vent or grip of some sort, but everything was completely Max-proof. The roof was fairly high, as the echo of my movements revealed, but the room itself was only about eight feet by ten feet wide, not nearly enough room for me to fly. I was effectively trapped.

"Hello?" my voice echoed in the room, "Is anyone there?" There was no response. I groaned, and paced back and forth in annoyance. Where was I? Where was the Flock? How much time had passed since Zanna had taken me down? I felt like a caged bird as I paced in the darkness of the small room. I wish I could have taken my mind off of my unpleasant surroundings by thinking about something else, but the only other things I could think about were the Flock and Zanna… and Fang.

It took a few minutes for my memories of my encounter in the desert to fully sink in, and when they did I wanted to cry so, so badly, but I promised myself that I wouldn't cry for Fang while I was on this mission. Fang wouldn't want me to weep over him, he'd want me to take Itex down once and for all.

Maybe this is what the Voice was telling me about turning my weakness into strength again, I thought to myself, I need to use my feelings for Fang to motivate me. Silently I dedicated all my efforts on this mission to Fang. I was going to do everything in my power to avenge him, and to make sure this never happened to anyone again. However, I couldn't promise myself that I wouldn't cry once this whole thing was over.

I continued to pace back and forth in the claustrophobia-agitating little room for what seemed like hours, until finally I couldn't take it anymore. "Hey!" I shouted, "Could someone tell me what's going on already?"

"Hello, Max," a female voice seemed to echo from up in the rafters. Assuming that the room had rafters, that is. The voice sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Who are you?" I shouted up into the darkness of the ceiling, "What did you do with my Flock?"

"Don't worry, Max, they've just been sent off for some final tests."

"Tests!" I cried furiously, "You let them go or else I'll---"

"---you are in no position to bargain, Max." The female voice said, "Though I'm really sorry it turned out this way. I tried convincing the board to keep you around."

"Gee, that makes me feel a lot better." Despite the grim situation I was in, I rolled my eyes. Did this lady realize how dumb she sounded? She almost sounded like a female Jeb, except Jeb didn't usually make direct threats on my life.

"I really do feel bad." The voice said, "But you've made yourself a nuisance. Don't you realize what Itex is trying to do, Max? We're trying to save the world!"

"Save the world?" I said indignantly, "I thought that was my job!"

"You've been a big part of our research, and if it weren't for you we wouldn't be able to do what we're doing now. That's how you've saved the world, Max; you've enabled Itex to start the world anew. I just wish you could be around to see it."

That's when I made the voice connection. "Anne? Is that you?"

Anne was silent for a moment, and then she sighed. "I'm sorry that it turned out like this, Max, but you've gotten out of hand."

"Anne!" I shouted angrily. It was no use though, she was gone. I groaned angrily, and for a moment I felt like I could rip the walls down with my bare hands. A bunch of questions ran through my head: Why Anne, of all people? And why was I trapped in this room, instead of being tested with the rest of the Flock? She had told me that I had gotten out of hand… what, was the roof going to squish down on me? Or maybe they were going to fill the room with water and drown me! Seriously, these Itex guys were completely lacking in---

It was about at that point in my thought process that Zanna tackled me to the ground.

* * *

***theme music plays* Welcome to the World of Wings Wrestling! I'm AmyQueen95, and tonight should be the biggest showdown since Brigid and Lissa battled it out for the title of favorite alternate Fang pairing after the release of TFW! In one corner we have our current WWW champion, Maximum 'Max' Ride!** "You're going down, brat!" **Oooh, somebody has bad sportsmanship.**

**And in this corner we have Leizanna 'Zanna' the Assassin!** "I killed Fang and now I'm gonna kill you!" **Ouch, that one must have hurt. Max is looking _really_ mad now! **

**Alright folks, let's get ready to rumble!!!! *DING DING DING* *crowd screams wildly as Max and Zanna lunge at each other***


	18. For Fang

***guilt* Yeah, I didn't get the chance to update yesterday. Sorry, I was busy. Anyways, here's today's and yesterday's chapters. Hope you all enjoy the further violence! *grins* Oh, c'mon, it's not that bad. You want graphic, read _Dr. Franklin's Island_. It scared my mother.**

* * *

Chapter 18 – For Fang

I managed to roll onto my back and squish Zanna against the floor, stunning her for a second. That gave me enough time to scramble to my feet and press my foot against Zanna's throat, holding her to the floor. I wasn't pressing down very hard on her, though I was seriously tempted to. "What are you doing here?"

Zanna gasped for breath as I pushed down slightly harder on her throat. "Isn't it obvious?" she whispered hoarsely, "I'm here to kill you." In the darkness I could hear Zanna unsheathe of her sai and strike my right shin with it, weakening my press on her throat. This gave her enough leeway to roll out from under my leg and strike the back of my left thigh, leaving me with two gashes on both of my legs. It stung like crazy, but I managed to stay nimble on my feet as Zanna came at me full force with her sai.

It was difficult to fight in the pitch blackness, which forced me to rely on sound and instinct, but eventually the fight fell into a pattern of sorts; Zanna would swing her blade, I would dodge around her and take a swing at her with my fist, then we'd turn around, charge at each other, and start again. She was so much better than me when it came to skill, but I still managed to keep up with her. The darkness was a hindrance, but it leveled the playing field.

Still, I could feel the familiar feeling of terror roll over me as I fought, dampening my concentration. Don't give in, I told myself, don't let her win. I had to win this one for Fang. I tried to block fear out of my head completely. Fear was a message, just like pain, and so it too could be ignored. The fear slowly receded in my brain, giving me an extra edge.

_Good job Max, _the Voice said to me, _you are learning to block her out_. I didn't respond because I was too busy trying not to get sliced by Little Miss Assassin.

"You never give up, do you?" I shouted at Zanna as I side-stepped her side swipe.

"I'll only quit after you do, Max," Zanna shouted as she dodged my punch, "so we could be here for a while!"

Now was the time to strike. "Yeah, that's pretty much---" instead of finishing my sentence, I sidestepped her and gave her a hard shove, pushing her into the closest wall at full force, resulting with a loud crunch. I took a step back, allowing Zanna's broken body to fall to the ground.

I put myself into a battle stance at the other end of the room, waiting for the sound of her evil laugh to echo and her deadly sai to slash against each other in a threatening manner. No sound came at all.

Cautiously, I stepped towards the place where Zanna fell, listening for stirring or breathing. _That_ _loud crunch…_ I thought, suddenly realizing what had happened, _oh, please, no, not again!_ There was still no sign of life when I knelt down next to Zanna's body. "Zanna, Zanna," I whispered uselessly as I checked for vital signs. No pulse, no breathing, and she wasn't responding to my voice.

"No…" I whispered, a sinking feeling growing in my stomach. It felt like I was with Ari in the New York sewers all over again. Once again, I had killed my attempted killer, and once again I felt like I was the worst person in the entire world.

* * *

**Oh, speaking of loud crunching noises! Do any of you peoples live in snowy places? I do! Anyways, I was sledding down the hill at my friend's house and went on their awesome snow jump, and I landed on my shoulder! I seriously heard it crunch on impact. I was fine, though, so everything was good (my shoulder has a habit of making funny noises after I tried carrying twelve library books at once one time). Yay for the snowy snowy winter!!!**

**Okay, I know you're probably thinking, "Amy, you just killed your beloved assassin OC and you're talking about the _sound_ she made when she hit the wall?!" Why of course I'm talking about it! The sound is the best part! Seriously, you should hear the sound an execution by guillotine makes. *smiles innocently* **


	19. I'm Sorry

Chapter 19 – I'm Sorry

Zanna smiled inwardly as Max kneeled next to her, horrified that she had apparently killed her. Zanna was not dead. No, she had stopped her vital signs on purpose. How clever it was for Mama to give me Max's powers, she thought to herself, because it gives me the power to defeat her and make her look like an idiot for not recognizing my trick, all at the same time.

Still, Zanna couldn't help but be touched by Max's regret for her 'death'. She still had to be eliminated, obviously, but there was something about her reaction to this turn of events that she respected. Zanna decided to seriously consider asking Mama to spare Max's Flock when all of this was over. After all, once her powers were fully developed she would be able to control all of them easily, so long as they didn't build up a resistance to her as Max had started to.

But now was no time for considering mercy, now was the time to kill. "Zanna, Zanna," Max was still chanting her name over and over in the dark, mourning over what she thought she had done. It was this type of attitude that made Max so much weaker than she was.

Zanna slowly felt for her sai with her left hand as Max continue to lament. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she was now saying, "I never meant to do this, I'm so, so sorry."

_I can't say I return the feelings, Max. _Before Max could react, Zanna grasped her sai and swung it off the ground into Max's torso. There was a gratifying squelching sound and a loud grunt, and Zanna felt her sai slip out of her grip as Max stumbled away from her. Soon the only sound in the room was the one of Max's pained breathing.

Zanna stood up and loomed over Max's fallen form. "This is your fault Max," Zanna said fiercely, partially to remind Max and partially to remind herself, "This is all your fault."

"Why?" Max's voice was now only a bare whisp of sound between agonized gasps, "Why did you do this to me?"

"Because," Zanna started to say, but then she paused and sighed. Why was this so hard?

Finally, Zanna started over again, "Because," she said, "if you had died, I wouldn't be here in the first place." She didn't know if Max had heard her or not, because she had stopped desperately gasping for air.

She was, however, still breathing, softly and unevenly. Zanna felt around on the floor for her other sai, and when she found it she stood over Max for a moment. This was it; this was all she had been working for, the very reason she had been created. The reason that her Mama loved her. "Bye, Max," Zanna said, stabbing the blade down.

* * *

**What's that? You thought that Zanna was going to be the one to die? Well live with it. *hmph***

**Aw, I'm just kidding, you're allowed to die over it if you want to! *smiles and gives everyone a virtual cookie* If you actually DO want to die, I also have cyanide-laced almond death cookies in my other jar, though I really recommend you at least finish the story. Besides, virtual suicide is grossly ineffective. **

**...Wow, I'm in a macabre mood today. First I talk about the sounds that guillotine executions make, and now I'm handing out poisonous virtual cookies! *wonders if she's been reading too many Wikipedia articles on capital punishment***


	20. The Afterlife

**Gaaah! I forgot to update again! Well, technically I didn't forget, I just ran out of time. **

**Hope you enjoy this last chapter! I'll be posting an AN after this, just so you know.**

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Chapter 20 – The Afterlife

I woke up in a beautiful warmth in the midst of a strange and silent darkness, feeling extremely safe and extremely confused. My memories were fuzzy, and I struggled to remember what happened. _Zanna died… but then she wasn't dead… she stabbed me with her strange knife… am I dead?_

Suddenly the darkness was penetrated by a voice. It started out as faint and hazy, but then it grew louder and clearer. "Max…Max…" it chanted. The voice seemed to come from the warmth; the warmth was from the voice, and the voice was warmth. I wanted to scream to the warm voice, to tell them that I was here, but I was so confused, and my body seemed paralyzed.

Still, the voice's calling became more vivid in my ears, enticing me to come out of my stone body and respond. "Max, you have to wake up…" Who was this voice, this beautiful being?

Finally I was freed from my stone self, and I was able to move more freely in the encasing warmth. "Such a beautiful voice…" I whispered softly.

The voice sighed. "Oh, Max…"

I suddenly became aware of a light shining on my closed eyelids, and reluctantly I flitted my eyes open and shut, slowly adjusting to the brightness. Where was the wonderful voice? Why had it stopped talking to me?

"Where are you?" I asked.

"I'm right here, Max." I was flooded with relief as the voice spoke to me again.

"Promise you won't leave." I begged the voice.

"I promise."

Newly calmed and comforted, I ran my fingers against the source of the voice, the sheltering warmth that seemed to last forever, yet it never lasted long enough.

I struggled to see in the light, to see the warmth, the voice, my comfort in the midst of confusion. I saw a shadowy face in the darkness, illuminated by scattered beams of the bright light. A beautiful face, one that could have been my entire world. "Beautiful face," I spoke whimsically, "what wonderful, beautiful…"

It was about at that point my thoughts became lucid again and I realized that I was feeling Fang's face, and that I was cradled in his arms. I withdrew my hand and gasped. "Fang!"

"I'm right here, Max," he said, smiling.

"What... oh no," I realized, "I'm dead." I closed my eyes and groaned. Zanna had killed me, and I had failed. The world was going to die and it was my all fault.

Of course, if the afterlife was an eternity with Fang in a dimly lit room, failure might not be so bad…

Fang chuckled softly and said, "No Max, you're not dead." Oh, well that was good. So, the afterlife _isn't_ an eternity with Fang in a dimly lit room?

That was when the pain in my stomach kicked in. "Ugh, what happened?" I asked weakly. "Zanna had the knife, and she was talking about how everything was my fault because I didn't die, and…" I trailed off, too tired to speak.

"Shhh, you need to rest." Fang turned off the bright light (a flashlight) and lay me back down on the floor. "We're safe, for now. I found a little hideaway inside the Itex building, an old room that's been sealed over."

"But, what did Zanna mean about… and why did you…?" completing sentences was a chore that seemed far too difficult for me at this time.

Fang seemed to understand what I was saying though, and he tried to explain as much as he knew. Apparently Zanna was created about ten years ago. Her sole reason for existence was to eliminate me, either when I was finished doing Itex's dirty work (ha!) or I got out of control. I'm sure you can guess which situation it turned out to be.

Anyways, Zanna was supposed to peak power-wise when she was about twelve; she had been given similar abilities as me, Fang, and Angel, so that she could use my powers against me, as well as the powers of the two others in the Flock who showed the greatest potential for power

Most of the powers they had copied from me and Fang had developed already: invisibility, total organ shut down, the works. Angel's powers, however, which had been grafted into her DNA years later, had only begun to show up now. She was also starting to manifest a natural power of empathy and emotional control over others. As a result, Zanna was currently a semi-telepathic emotional pre-teen who could cause her targets' brains to feel extra amounts of fear, as well as sense peoples' emotions and occasionally interfere with their minds.

Zanna was the perfect weapon, except that she hadn't had enough time to 'ripen' because I got out of hand long before they had expected me to. So, in the end, she had been unleashed before all her powers had developed and before she was fully ready for her mission.

Her powers worked nearly perfectly on Fang, though. "From the moment we ran into her, I knew there was something strange about her," he told me, "there was this weird link between us. And when I was watching her in the forest when she was our prisoner, she'd torment me and manipulate me in my head. When I tried to stop her from escaping," there was a slight cringe in his expression, "she just got to me completely. She was telling me things… I just had to be alone." Fang looked away, ashamed that he had run away.

"It's not your fault," I tried reassuring him, "besides, I think we can build up a resistance to her powers."

Fang nodded. "I know. Zanna captured me and took me back here, and after a few days of mental manipulation and Max-bashing I got tired of being pushed around."

"What did you do?"

"I pushed back." I looked at Fang with confusion, waiting for him to further explain. He continued, "I told you that I felt that Zanna and I had a link. Well, we do. We have a genetic link."

My eyes widened. "You mean…"

He nodded. "Part of her DNA was created from mine. I'm her genetic parent." He hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I don't know if anyone else's DNA was used, though, or if they just rearranged mine."

"Fang..." I said sympathetically, trying to comfort him. He didn't show it outwardly, but I could tell that this was really bothering him.

However, he ignored me and went on. "Anyways, because of the link I was able to use her powers against her. Basically, everything she can do to me, I can do back to her if I try hard enough. That's how I escaped my cell and hid away in the building."

Once Fang had discovered this ability he escaped his confinement a couple of days before I woke up inside the dark room with Zanna in it (I had been, according to what Fang found out, drugged and unconscious several days before they put me in there) and had found the old room we were sitting in, which was in a camera dead spot and covered over with wall panels. He had accumulated supplies and information from throughout the building, and when he found out where I was he intervened. He was just in time too, because Zanna was about to plunge one of those sai through my heart when he snuck up behind her and knocked her out. He had stolen some pain killers and medical supplies to nurse my stomach wound (which wasn't as bad as it first seemed), and now that I was almost better he had woke me up to see how I was feeling.

"I'm fine," I told him, but he said I needed to wait at least another day before we went to rescue the rest of the Flock from their confinements.

"You need rest," he insisted, "just go back to sleep."

Reluctantly I closed my eyes and tried to relax, to recharge my batteries for the interesting day ahead. However, there were a few things that I wanted to talk about first. "Fang?" I heard his body shift from across the room. I sighed, "I should have known you weren't dead. I'm sorry I didn't know."

"You're not perfect, Max. It's fine."

I nodded slightly, even though Fang couldn't see me. "You know that time you promised that you'd never leave again?" I suddenly asked.

"Yeah." I was almost certain that I heard his voice quiver a little.

"I just thought I'd tell you that I don't think this counts. It wasn't your fault that Zanna did what she did, and I know that normal No-Emotion Fang will never abandon me."

Fang was silent for a moment, before saying, "I have emotions, Max."

"I know."

There were a few moments of silence between us, and then I spoke again. "Fang, do you think it's okay to feel bad for an enemy sometimes?"

Fang was quiet for another second, and then he said, "Yeah, I guess so," he sighed, "now go to sleep, Max."

* * *

**Okay, yes, I fooled you into thinking this was the last chapter. *smiles* I'm evil that way. **

**There isn't really an AN, so just go read the next chapter already!!!**


	21. Solitary Thoughts

Chapter 21 – Solitary Thoughts

Zanna sat alone in her room, trapped in solitary with a broken arm and multiple bruises because she had failed to finish off Maximum Ride because of Fang's intervention. In her opinion, the injuries from the fight hurt less than the isolation. Zanna didn't like most people, but being alone was always more unpleasant than being with people you didn't like, in her opinion. It made her feel shelved, obsolete, like all the clones and Erasers that had been done away with. At least Mama would keep her company when she did what she wanted. Maybe Fang could have kept her company if he hadn't escaped.

No, she quickly shook that thought off. Fang rescued Max; he had chosen friendship with her over friendship with Zanna. He would always side with Max, she knew that now.

Zanna hadn't wanted a parent or anything like that. She just wanted a friend, someone to keep her company; someone who'd like her even if she didn't beat her record on the treadmill or kill enough Flyboys within thirty seconds. She had hoped that Fang would have done that, that he would learn to understand her. That was an impossibility now.

In all her years of training to become a quick and efficient killer, no one had ever told Zanna how many emotions were involved when you tried to kill someone. She had never expected to become attached to Fang, or to feel sorry for Max, or to, for once in her life, doubt everything she had ever believed or was taught. Mama had told her to block out all emotions, to not think of the target as a person. Not only had Zanna not blocked out her emotions, but now Max had started blocking her, and Fang was fighting back!

Zanna had tried her best to hide her flaring emotions, but she was not the emotionless person her mama had wanted her to be. You only had to look into her eyes to see that. She tried to remain cool and collected like Fang, but she had not inherited his stonewall nature.

For a moment Zanna wondered why she wasn't mad at Fang. After all, it was his DNA that set such a high bar for her. Fang would have been a perfect assassin, if he had grown up in the same environment as Zanna.

Because she shared DNA with him, all of the whitecoats expected her to be a little she-Fang. In fact, if she remembered correctly, her name was a strange pieced-together version of 'She-Fang' in some other language. All her life the whitecoats who took care of her had treated her like she was Fang, giving her all of his favorite foods and play items and using the same methods and procedures with her that they had used when Fang had been in their captivity. Even when her Mama visited her, she brought her things that they thought a girl version of Fang would like: black outfits, rock CDs, and even a computer when they found out that Fang enjoyed blogging.

Nobody would ever know that assassin Leizanna's favorite color was dark purple, her favorite songs were from the Phantom of the Opera tape she had stolen when she was little, and she absolutely loathed blogging.

_I guess I've never been mad at Fang because I've been taught to be mad at Max._ Zanna was almost positive that something was wrong with what she had been taught, but she just couldn't let her anger go completely. Max was responsible for her suffering, she always was responsible, everything started when Max existed. Everything seemed so easy when you could blame it on one person, a person who you were told to hate and blame from the very beginning. It should have been easy to kill her! Why had she hesitated enough to give Fang time to intervene?

Because Max felt compassion for you when she thought you were dead,the tiny scrap of Zanna's remaining conscience seemed to tell her, Max had only wanted to be left alone; she wasn't out for blood like you.

Zanna remembered reading a file about Max's half-brother, Ari, who was accidentally killed when Max fought him in New York's sewer system. Ari had been her sworn enemy, and even then she hadn't meant to kill him. She had been really upset about it afterwards, Zanna knew that from the faint reoccurring thoughts Max had when she thought she had killed again. Why couldn't Max just be evil and destructive like she was supposed to be? I'm not thinking straight, Zanna decided, I need to talk to Mama.

As if on cue, the door opened up to reveal Anne, Zanna's mama. "Zanna, how's your arm?" she asked. Even though she tried hard to be a good 'parent', Zanna knew that her mama was not cut out for the job. Not to mention she only visited every couple of months.

"My arm is fine, Mama," Zanna said, "It's almost better. I wish you'd let me have another try at Maximum Ride."

Anne sighed. "You had your chance, Zanna, now we need to get Maximum Ride out of the way once and for all. You understand, don't you?"

Zanna nodded. "It's her fault," she said automatically.

"Exactly." Anne went on to explain a detailed plan for capturing and eliminating Max and Fang, who they believed were still in the building. Normally that would have thrilled Zanna. Anything involving Max possibly dying usually thrilled her. Today though, it seemed pointless.

After a few minutes of letting the plans pass uselessly through her head, Zanna decided to ask her mama something, just so she could get it out of her head once and for all. "Mama," Zanna cut in, "do you think it's okay to feel bad for an enemy sometimes?"

Her mama looked at her with an expression of near horror. "Zanna! When someone opposes your cause, sometimes they have to be eliminated for the greater good. No matter how nice they seem or how unfair the situation might be, if they interfere with the plan they must be put out of commission. You don't want Maximum Ride to win, do you?"

"No." Zanna shook her head, and she tried her best to accept everything her mama said, but she still couldn't stop remembering how Max had spoken her name and apologized over and over when she had kneeled by her lifeless body.


	22. Stealthy Escape

***yawn* I need to stop updating at the last minute. I need sleep, and at the same time I need to update! *sigh* Dumb Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook, it takes up all my time! Plus, the illustrious National Novel Writing Month starts at midnight on November 1!!!! **

**Have any of you peoples done NaNoWriMo before? It's awesome! Basically, you have all of November to write a 50,000 word story, and they send you a bunch of emails to motivate your sorry butt into authordom! *nods* Last year was fun (my story was awful, but the experience was fun), and I can't wait to do it again! I actually have a plot this year! *beams* I took writing lessons. I really recommend it for all you guys out there who are serious about your writing careers; it's a great way to bear down and finally get that story written.**

**Aaaanyways, on with the story! I think I'll just upload two chapters to save me the trouble tomorrow...**

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Chapter 22 – Stealthy Escape

Twelve hours and a few pain killers later, I was up and ready to rescue my Flock from death, destruction, and over-sanitized lab coats! The pain in my stomach was greatly decreased now, and I was now able to walk around the small room. Already I was feeling the effects of cabin fever, and I was itching to get out.

Fang and I packed our supplies into our backpacks and then silently we removed the panel blocking our exit and slipped into the corridor. We knew that Anne knew we were inside the building, but Fang had sneaked around enough to know where all the security system dead spots were. It would have been so much easier to ghost our way around like Zanna could, but because Fang's invisibility power was still a work in progress person-to-person invisibility transfer was out of the question.

We carefully snuck our way through the halls, moving stealthily and precisely through the building. It was really intense in a way; one misplaced step, and we'd be smiling on camera for the Itex security guards, and we sure didn't want that.

We located a small unguarded corridor that led to the room that the Flock was being kept in, and it smelled strongly of antiseptic as we stalked towards the door. It seemed strange that even though most of Itex's creations were exterminated ages ago they still managed to find something to cut open and scrub off the walls so they could leave that clean smell behind. I wondered if anyone I knew had been tested in that room before the Flock. Max II? Omega? After all, both of them failed to best me, and you know Itex's policy: Kill Maximum Ride or we slice you open and steal your vital organs.

The door was locked, but Fang picked the lock quickly (what, you think Iggy is the only one who can do it?). We slipped in just as a security Flyboy passed by the hallway. We stood by the door, listening and waiting for the metallic footsteps to fade.

Finally, we turned around and faced the Flock. Everyone was asleep and, minus Total, who was in a cage, was strapped down to a surgical table with thick straps. "Let's try waking them up," I whispered to Fang, who nodded and slipped towards Iggy.

I strode over to Angel, who still managed to look cute strapped down to a table. "Sweetie," I whispered softly, "we're here to free you."

Angel's eyelids fluttered open, and she smiled. "You found Fang."

I nodded, and then I started to un-strap her from the table. "I'll tell you about it later." I motioned for her to stand up and help me with the others, and soon everyone was awake and ready to go.

"It's too bad they searched us with x-ray," Iggy said drowsily, "or else we could've blown this joint by now."

"You do _not_ want to know where they hide their bombs, Max," Nudge said, giving Gazzy and Iggy looks of disgust. Iggy tried his best to look innocent, and Gazzy just grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Just follow behind me and Fang, and make sure you step exactly where we step." Everyone followed behind us, with Iggy hanging on to Gazzy, Angel clutching Total, and Nudge bringing up the rear. All was fine until we tried to open a door that led to the front of the building and set off an alarm.

"Run!" I yelled, taking off down the hallway. The Flock followed close behind, and together we skidded around corners and beat apart the Flyboys that tried to slow us down. We were doing fine until we tried to go through another door and wound up in a parking lot full of Flyboys. It sort of went downhill from there.

* * *

**Rules of the Universe According to Amy:** No one, especially a guy, should sparkle when placed in direct light. Ever. It's just creepy. *shudders* Trust me on that one.


	23. An Hour to Live

Chapter 23 – An Hour to Live

After we were dragged kicking and screaming from the parking lot, the Flyboys put us into a bedroom-sized room that was empty and had one wall made of glass. On the other side of the glass there seemed to be a sitting room of some sort, almost as if people could walk in and drink their coffee while they stared at us. Gazzy tried to kick the panel in, but he only succeeded in making his foot sore. "Ouch!" he yelped, hopping around on one leg until he fell down.

"I don't think they're going to put us in a room with a breakable wall, Gasman," Iggy said, reaching down and patting Gazzy on the head in a demeaning fashion. Gazzy scowled and then crawled into one of the corners.

"Isn't this ironic," Total said bitterly, "We're trapped in a box of a room when there are _real _accommodations just a window away!"

"Yeah, sorry I didn't book ahead of time," I said sarcastically. I looked over at Fang, who gave me a slightly sympathetic look. Man, I had missed that look so much.

The younger three kids and Total had all sat against the wall together, but me, Fang, and Iggy preferred to stand. Someone was going to come soon, and I wanted to be standing when they came, especially if they tried to unleash another devil child on me.

Soon enough, Zanna and—shocker of shockers—Anne entered the other room and sat in a couple of plush chairs in front of the glass. Anne was holding a microphone, and she pressed a button on the side of it. "Hey kids." She said, as if she were having a casual conversation, "Sorry about the lack of furniture, but our budget is a bit lower than it used to be."

"Don't waste time, Anne," I scowled, "just tell us what you want and be done with it."

Anne sighed. "I'm trying to be nice as I possibly can, Max, but I put the greater good above my own personal feelings for you guys. I know you never liked me, Max, but you kids were like my own children for that short time in Virginia."

I snorted. "Some mother you are!" I might have been seeing things, but I thought I saw Zanna mutter 'tell me about it' under her breath. At least the girl wasn't totally duped.

Anne frowned sadly at us, saying, "I really wish we could have worked things out more civilly, Max, but you've left me no choice but to eliminate you permanently. You can't stop Itex's plans, Max, no matter how often you crush us we'll always rise up again. It's the way it's meant to be."

"Then why, exactly, do I keep kicking your butts?"

"Max, you're an experiment gone wrong," she told me, "you shouldn't even be alive, and to be honest, things would be a lot simpler if you just didn't exist."

"Oh?" I asked with intrigue. "That sounds a bit like what Zanna was spouting when she tried to impale me with her fancy ninja sword. Tell me Zanna, why would things be simpler if I was dead?"

"Because—" Zanna started to speak into the microphone, but Anne cut her off.

"—Zanna, let me handle this." Zanna slumped back into her chair, deflated. "Max," Anne said to me, "you probably don't know this, but you were the main reason the hybrid program went forward. Our funding was about to be cut by the company when you were conceived. One tiny, untainted embryo, that's all you were Max. So fresh, so fragile."

"Cut to the chase." I said impatiently.

She continued, "Well, once we had studied you under a microscope, we began the difficult process of graphing the altered DNA into your genetic code. Your embryo was extremely unstable, and for the next month every one of your tiny cells struggled to cope with the severe genetic trauma. We thought you wouldn't make it to full term. Well, you survived Max, despite all odds, and when you finally stabilized we were able to refine the grafting process enough to create more hybrids like the Erasers, the Flock, and Zanna.

"Can't you see, Max? The School, Itex, the By-Half Plan, and Zanna wouldn't even exist without you. You've caused so much suffering for some people," Anne glanced thoughtfully at Zanna, "but at the same time you've been the driving force behind the entire plan the whole time. You can't fight your place in Itex's plans, Max," she said, "you either help us, or your purpose in this life is lost." She paused, as if waiting for me to beg for mercy. Zanna had also braced herself anxiously for my response.

I paused for a moment to think, glanced at Fang one more time, and then said, "Anne, did you have to practice to get that long-winded? Seriously, you should record audio books!" I heard my Flock snicker behind me as Anne's face grew sour. Even Zanna seemed to have a slight curl to her mouth.

"That was a big mistake, Max," Anne scowled at me. She pulled a small remote out of her pocket and flipped a switch on it. Suddenly there was a large hiss from a vent on the roof, bringing with it an odd odor. Large digital numbers appeared on the glass, turning the window into a large transparent timer counting down from sixty minutes.

"That's how long you have until you're dead, Max," Anne said, "Though I doubt that the dog will last longer than ten minutes with this gas seeping in." She was about to leave, when she paused and said, "On second thought, I think I'll keep the dog as a live experiment. He's an interesting case of genetic adaptation." A super-tough Flyboy marched into our room and ripped Total out of Angel's arms, causing both of them to yell loudly. We tried to take it down, but it swatted us away like flies and left before we could do anything.

"You can't do this!" Angel screamed.

Anne shook her head. "I'm sorry." She turned to Zanna and said, "You can stay and watch, I have other business to tend to." Then she turned and left, taking the microphone with her. Now it was just us, Zanna, and a room full of toxic gas.

Just great.

* * *

**Oooh, since you're all tormented and stuff now, I'd just like to say I wore an awesome Phantom(ette) of the Opera costume to a youth group costume party, and I'm going to wear it again when I get together with my fellow Phantom Fangirls tomorrow. *nods* They'll freak (in a good way). Oh, and I made a jack-o-lantern at the party that has a steak knife stuck in its head and is puking up pumpkin guts. *giggles***

**But guys still shouldn't sparkle. *shakes head fervently***


	24. The Final Minutes

**Woohoo! Today is day 1 of NaNoWriMo! I haven't actually started my story yet *guilt* because I'm still working out plot details, but I've decided that I'm gonna take Sundays off anyways. It means I have to do 2,000 words a day, but I think I'll cope. **

**I'm actually surprised how few reviews there's been in comparison to previous weekends. Not that I'm complaining; begging for reviews makes me feel really needy, and I've been doing fine in that department. I guess it's because it's the Halloween weekend, and everyone's in sugar comas (candy does baaad things to my digestive system *groans*), so they're not reading or reviewing. It picked up a bit yesterday, so I'm pretty sure they haven't all just decided to stop reading. That would make me feel really bad, actually. *frowns* And then I'd have to add more cliff-hangers to get everyone to read! More torment for everyone!!!!!**

**Haha, nah, I'll be nice for now. Just let this serve as a reminder to everyone: Free candy has a negative effect on fanfiction obsessions. ****Everyone should eat virtual cookies instead.**

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Chapter 24- The Final Minutes

We all sat down in the room and tried to conserve breaths and reduce movement so we would last as long as possible in the toxic air. Of course, Anne had probably expected us to do that, so I doubted that it was going to give us any extra time.

After about five minutes we all started feeling sluggish, the first symptom of the poison's effects. I told everyone to keep talking and, whatever they did, stay awake. Fang and I passed the time by explaining to the others everything that we had discovered and everything that happened. I could tell Fang still felt a little weird taking about his genetic link with Zanna—especially since she was just on the other side of the glass—but he hid it well from the others.

At ten minutes, we were all starting to behave a bit strangely. Nudge was babbling at twice her normal speed, Gazzy was lightly banging his head against the wall, and Angel was giggling for some unknown reason. I glanced at Zanna through the glass. She was still there, mostly changing her gaze between me and Fang with an expression of mixed anger, disgust, and sadness on her face.

"You know, if we had this stuff in low concentration it would be awesome for gassing enemies." Iggy said almost longingly.

I groaned, "This stuff feels like Valium." I saw Fang look at me knowingly, and I rolled my eyes. "No, Fang, I'm not going to say loopy things again." He smiled at me a little, but I couldn't help but think he seemed a bit disappointed.

After twenty minutes in the gas, it was too tiring to keep up with conversations. Instead, we all huddled together in a corner, comforting each other with our warmth. My mind wandered back to when I thought I was dead, and I had wondered if I was going to spend the afterlife with Fang in a dimly lit room.

"Max, that's gross." Angel groaned. Even now she was listening in on my private thoughts. I blushed a little, and then I scanned over the room again as if hoping to find a magic exit or a hidden escape, but just like before there was no way out.

After thirty minutes movement and thinking clearly became nearly impossible, and I could tell the younger ones weren't going to be able to hang on much longer. "I'm so tired Max." Angel said wistfully as she lay snuggled in my arms.

I struggled to speak. "Don't fall asleep, Angel," I begged, "just a little bit longer."

"No, Max…" That was all she said, and then she was asleep. My baby fell asleep, and I knew that she wasn't going to wake up.

Soon Gazzy and Nudge fell under the spell of the gas's spell too, and at thirty-five minutes I knew I was next. My vision was going dark, and all I could feel was Angel in my arms and my head leaning on Fang's shoulder. I was too tired to cry, but I felt a single tear slip down my cheek onto Fang. "Goodbye…" I said weakly, drifting further and further away from reality.

Suddenly an idea came to me. "No, no goodbyes," I said with a slur, perking up for one final moment, "use your power, Fang, stop Zanna."

Fang didn't say anything, but I felt his heavy hand quiver as he struggled to stroke my hair. "Please, Fang." I pleaded as I went under. Then I slipped away, and there was nothingness.

* * *

**It's annoying finding metaphors for losing conciousness:**

**"I slipped into the endless darkness"**

**"I fell under darkness's thick veil"**

**"darkness crawled over me, and the world faded away"**

**"I felt the giant mallet hit me on the head, and then there was darkness"**

**Most of them involve the word 'darkness', incase you didn't notice.**


	25. I'll Care

**Okay, because I'm in a REALLY good mood today (and because Orangeduck23 begged) I decided to post an extra chapter. It's a bit sappy, in my opinion, but also really sweet. Hope you agree! At least, I hope you agree about the sweet part...**

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Chapter 25 – I'll Care

Fang felt like screaming when Max drifted off. Max was never going to wake up again, and it was more than likely that the Angel and Gazzy only had a few minutes left of their short lives. _All_ their lives had been so short, things should have been different.

Just then Iggy, who was the only other person still conscious, spoke, "Fang..." he said, "why aren't you doing anything?"

"I can't…" Fang slurred. The effort he used had been excruciating when he had fought Zanna back the first time, and right now his brain felt like a muddled mess of melted butter. There was no way he would be able to concentrate enough to fight against her.

Iggy sighed sadly, "You have... you have to try, Fang. Do you want Max's last words... to be her begging to you for help?"

Something seemed to click inside of Fang when Iggy said that to him. _Max… _Fang struggled to move from the huddle of bird kids and crawl towards the glass panel, feeling as if he had anvils strapped to his body. His vision was getting fuzzy around the edges as he dragged himself across the room, but he could still see Zanna sitting calmly in her chair, her expression currently emotionless.

She reminded Fang so much of himself it was scary.

_Zanna, _Fang looked up at her tried to communicate with her through the glass, _you have to help us. _

Zanna got up from her chair and stood in front of him, looking down at him with an angry expression. _Why should I? You chose Max over me._ However, Fang could feel Zanna's confusion as she tried to decide how she felt about about him, her emotions caught between anger and pity. Fang kept up hope; there was still a chance she could be persuaded.

_Come on, Zanna, _he said, stimulating sympathy in her brain, _I know you don't want to do this._

When Zanna felt him trying to influence her she lashed out, crippling him with a wave of terror that nearly caused his poisoned mind to lose consciousness. _Don't you dare use my powers against me! This isn't my fault!_

Fang struggled to fight the emotions and the blackness back as he kept on trying to persuade her. _Do you really think this is Max's fault, just because she was the first victim? You can't blame Max for someone else's actions. _

_You don't understand what I've lived through! _Zanna said, sending another wave down on him.

This time, however, Fang was better prepared to stand up to it, and he managed to block most of its effect. _You think I haven't had an awful life? _He replied, _If it wasn't for Max, I would probably have a nice family and fourteen less years of pain and scarring!_

_Then why don't you see things my way? We could get along so well, we could keep each other company when Itex destroys the world!_

Fang shook his head. _You can't kill my family and expect me to get over it. Even you feel bad about this, Zanna. I can feel it. _Slowly and surely, he was pushing back at Zanna's control.

_It's a necessary evil! _Zanna mentally shouted, _this is Max's fault!_

_Stop chanting Itex's propaganda, Zanna, _Fang said, _think for yourself._

_But then Mama won't love me anymore, and you'll just leave me and go save the world with your little Flock! _Zanna's eyes flamed wildly at him, and he could feel her struggle against his control. It was no use though, he had the power now.

_Zanna, _Fang said firmly, _Anne does not love you. She's tried really hard to love you, but she can't do it. She can only like you when you do what Itex wants._

Zanna was slowly caving in to her emotions, and her eyes now reflected her desperate sadness. _But then no one will care what happens to me. They'll kill me and take my body away like they did with all the other experiments. _Zanna leaned against the glass wall and began to cry, acting like the little girl she was underneath all the training and brainwashing.

Fang knew now that this was no longer a struggle against Zanna, but a struggle to save both her and the Flock from total destruction. Using the last energy he had left in his dying body, Fang raised himself up onto his feet, using the glass as a support. When he gained his footing he pressed his hand against Zanna's through the glass. _Zanna, _he told her softly, _I'll care. _

Zanna lifted her head to look at Fang, tears running down her cheeks. _You will?_

Fang nodded. _You aren't a killer. You deserve to be loved._

Zanna and Fang looked at each other for a moment, sensing the sincerity of each other's thoughts and emotions. However, before Fang could say anything more Zanna abruptly turned around and raced out of the room, breaking off the connection. What was she doing?

Suddenly there was a loud hissing noise from the vent on the roof, and the sound of a large fan being turned on. Fang tried breathing, and to his amazement he was met with lungs full of fresh oxygen. He heard the door to the room open, and saw that Zanna was standing there. "It's oxygen mixed with an antidote to the poison," she said, "They'll be alright in about fifteen minutes. We'll have to hurry. Mam---"Zanna cut herself off, "_Anne_ will probably check in here when the timer runs out," she looked at the numbers on the countdown, which was down to twenty-seven minutes.

"Could you help me up, please?" Iggy asked weakly from the huddle in the corner. Zanna walked over to him, pulled him out of the huddle, and helped him regain his footing. He and Fang walked around slowly, trying to get the poison out of their bloodstreams. A few minutes later, the others started to stir.

Fang kneeled down next to Max, who was still lying on the floor where he had left her. "Max," he said softly, "you have to wake up now."

Max's eyelids fluttered open wearily, and she smiled at him. "We're not alone, and the room's not very dim," she said drowsily, "so I guess I'm not in the afterlife." It was an odd thing to say, but Fang decided just to leave it for now and ask her some other time when she was thinking clearly.


	26. Fighting These Feelings

**Grrr, the NaNoWriMoing is going slow. You know how things work better in your head then they do on paper? It's kind of like that. I'm sure I'll pick up though, I just need to get rolling. **

**Ooooh, I likey this chapter. *grins* It appeals to the sappy Faxfan inside of me. Don't worry though, it's not a "they made passionate almost-love and then swore never to speak of it again" type moment, it's just good old pre-_Max_ J-Pat style Faxness (in my opinion). I hope you like it!**

* * *

Chapter 26 – Fighting These Feelings

After my, uh, odd comment about the afterlife, my recovery was quick, and soon I was able to walk off the gas and help the others get going. I was still a little wary of Zanna, but I did notice that she seemed different. She seemed more stable, somehow. More human.

We snuck through the halls easily, now that we had the advantage of Zanna's super strong invisibility powers. After recovering Total and our confiscated supplies, Zanna led us through an old vent that led to the outside. Alarms starting blaring as we flew over top of the fence, but there was no stopping us now. We were home free.

We travelled for about three hours before I felt we were far away enough to be safe for the night. We paid for a couple of motel rooms at a small inn on the side of the highway, putting the guys in one room and the girls in the other. There was only one bed in each room, so Zanna insisted on sleeping on the floor while the rest of us girls slept on the bed. "I don't mind." She had said quietly, taking a spare pillow and a bed sheet.

I lay in the dark for a long time, listening to the sound of cars on the highway and the quiet breathing around me. I couldn't sleep; there was just too much to process. What should we do with Zanna? Just because she wasn't trying to kill me anymore didn't mean I wanted her around. Trust took time to develop, and when we didn't trust each other everyone was in danger. Maybe this was how Fang felt when I took Ari in.

Eventually I got bored of lying there and I decided to get out of bed and stretch. Quietly, I walked over to the end of the bed, where Zanna was sleeping on the carpet. I gazed down at her, trying to understand who and what she was.

In the dim light you could clearly see the resemblance she had to Fang: the dark hair, the beautifully angular face, even her wings reminded me of Fang now that I thought about it. At the same time, she looked so different from him. She was fair skinned, and her face, though angular, was still a lot softer-looking than Fang's, and her eyes… Fang's eyes were always blank, but Zanna's eyes constantly flared with emotion and determination. I wondered if her eyes were created from some twist of Fang's DNA or if there had been another experiment who had eyes like that.

I heard the door open behind me, and I turned. It was Fang. "I couldn't sleep either." He said, motioning for me to follow him outside. We took off and flew in silence for a while, until we found an abandoned gas station down the road. We landed on top of it and sat next to each other on the old electric sign mounted on the roof. "So," I said, "Zanna seems different."

Fang nodded. "I've been keeping tabs on her. Most of the time she doesn't need my help to stay calm."

We were quiet for a few minutes, just enjoying the highway ambience. Finally I had to say something. "She can't stay with us, Fang. Everything has changed too quickly. I need time to adjust."

"To forgive." He added. I nodded in response.

Fang went on, "I get how you feel Max, but I can't drop her completely. It was like how you felt with Ari," he said, hesitating when he saw me flinch a little, "even before you knew he was your brother you felt you had to help him."

"I know," I said, "but I'm afraid this will break us up again."

"Me too." Fang said quietly. He paused for a moment, then suggested, "How about we find somewhere for Zanna to stay? Somewhere where she can just have some space, grow up like a normal kid." He smirked, "After all, not all bird kids are duty-bound to saving the world."

I smiled at him and said, "We could still visit her. I think we can work things out eventually."

Fang smiled back. "Thanks."

There was another long silence between us, and then I said, "Fang, back in the Itex building you were really uncomfortable talking about Zanna's DNA."

Fang frowned and turned away. "Yeah," he said, shifting uncomfortably.

"There was another parent, wasn't there?" He nodded. "Who is it?"

Fang was silent for a moment, and then said, "She was an experiment too. She was killed when Itex was getting rid of their unnecessary experiments, back in that place in Germany."

For a moment I tried to remember all of the faces I had seen while I had been in that mutant death camp. Had any of them had fiery eyes like Zanna? I couldn't remember, so I gave up. "I'm sorry," was all I could think to say.

"Why? It's not your fault."

"It kind of is, if what Anne said is true." What if everything really was my fault?

"Max, you were a victim just like us. You told me that it wasn't my fault that Zanna made me leave. Well, it's not your fault that you were an experiment." Our faces drew close, and for a minute I thought that a kiss was inevitable, but at the last minute I pulled away.

"I'm sorry," I said, "not now." Fang look dejected, but he nodded and turned away.

_How much longer can you keep fighting these feelings, Max? _The Voice asked me.

I sighed. _I don't know, Voice, but now is not the time. It's too complicated._

The Voice didn't say anything else, and after a couple of minutes of awkward silence Fang and I jumped off of the roof and flew back to get some sleep.


	27. Keeping His Promise

**Yeah... I forgot to update. Again. *sigh* Look on the bright side though: Most fanfictioners don't update for weeks on end! Just skip a day every now and then. *smiles***

**So this happens to be our [insert tragic/dramatic music here] second-last chapter! *cries* I'm pretty happy with how this fanfiction turned out, but it's still sad that it's ending. I've grown attached to my adorable/evil little OC. Oh well, maybe I'll do a sequel after book six comes out; I have a whole lot of other stories I want to write first, before Fang (possibly) dies and the series gets turned on it's head once again. This story could probably still go on after book six's release (a.k.a. D-Day), but we'll see.**

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Chapter 27 – Keeping His Promise

We made it to my Mom's house without a hitch, much to my relief. It was a little strange trying to explain the extra bird kid to Mom, but after a while everyone seemed to be fine with it. Still, Ella could still be caught giving Zanna curious glances every once in a while.

We decided that Zanna would go and live with a friend of Mom's who owned a farm in Montana. She was a widow in her fifties, and was more than happy to have the company and the extra help. Zanna would also have plenty of room to fly and explore, and there were even a few children her age on some of the nearby farms. It seemed like the perfect arrangement.

Mom's friend was actually coming to town that week, so Zanna would be leaving with her in a couple of days. In the meantime though, Fang and Zanna had been spending nearly every waking hour together. Sometimes they'd go and do things in town, and other times they'd just spend hours sitting in silence, conversing in their heads.

I have to admit that I was jealous. After all, I was usually the one Fang confided in; I was the one he usually invited to fly with him at night. For those two days Zanna seemed to take my place as Fang's best friend. Also, I _really_ wanted to know what they were talking about all that time. I couldn't even get Angel to listen in on them because of Zanna's mind-blocking ability.

_Fang's just keeping his promise, _the Voice said to me as I sat alone in my bedroom.

_What do you mean? _

_Fang told Zanna that he would care about her. He's trying to prove that he means it._

_What about me? _I demanded, _he can't just ditch me for a ten-year-old assassin._

_It's for two days, Max. Besides, Fang will always be close to Zanna, but you're still his soul mate. No one could ever replace you. _

After the Voice said that I sat alone for a while, pondering everything that had happened over the last couple of weeks: Emotional outbreaks, violent assassination attempts, and new relationships. Fang had a biological daughter, I had a new enemy-turned-ally, and Fang and I... we were still trying to figure out what our relationship had become. Hopefully, we would figure it out fairly soon.

* * *

**Back in the Fanfiction Cave! [insert Batman music here]**

"This story was so beautiful!" Fwa exclaimed, seemingly recovered from his fanfiction withdrawal. "I can't wait for more stories to come out!"

"You might be waiting a while though," Amy said, swimming around in the moon pool in circles, "I'm going to be busy all month with NaNoWriMo."

"Wh-what?" Fwa said shakily.

"It means she'll be trying to write a real story instead of a series rip-off that can never make her money!" BBB exclaimed.

"NOOOOOO!" Fwa screached, falling to the floor again and going into spasms.

"We really need to get him some medication for that," Amy commented as she watched him from the moon pool.

"Yeah." BBB was silent for a moment, then said, "So, wanna go swimming in the ocean again?"

"Eh, why not?" Amy shrugged, "It's not like we can do anything for him right now." So they swam away again, leaving Fwa twitching on the cave floor.


	28. Eyes and Goodbyes

***cries* It's the last chapter already! So sad... oh well, all good stories must come to an end; otherwise they'd just be annoying. *speaks in an official-sounding voice* We hope you enjoy the concluding chapter of this epic fanfiction, good night! *end voice* Me, have MPD? Nooooo... **

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Chapter 28 – Eyes and Goodbyes

After the two days were up, Zanna stood at the door with her bags of newly acquired clothes (most of them purple), waiting for her ride to pick her up. Everyone had said their goodbyes to her earlier, and Dr. M. and the younger girls had even hugged her. Max and Zanna were polite enough to each other when they exchanged farewells, but Fang could tell that there was still friction between them. However, he was confident that the distrust would fade in time. They had more in common than they'd like to admit.

The others had dispersed and were doing other things in the house, so now it was just him and Zanna standing at the Martinez' front door. _You'll come and visit me on the farm, won't you?_

_Of course, _Fang replied. _Do you want me to bring the Flock, or…?_

_You can bring them, _Zanna said, _though could you come by yourself sometimes?_

_Sure. _Fang was still amazed at how well he and Zanna connected, even though just days ago they had been at each other's throats.

_I guess genetics are more powerful than some people think. _Zanna said, reading his thoughts.

_Yeah, genes have a weird way of linking people together. _Fang wished Zanna would change the subject. This whole thing was still really awkward for him. Besides, they had more of a brother-sister relationship than a parent-child one.

_Speaking of parents, _Zanna started, _are you ever going to tell Max that my biological mom _isn't_ dead?_

_Zanna, no, _Fang groaned inwardly, _we talked about this before. If Max knew that your biological mom wasn't dead, she'd want to know exactly who it was and track her down. _He sighed, _Maybe I'll tell her when things are different between us. If they ever are different._

_I think things will change for you and Max soon, _Zanna smiled and gave Fang a look, _and then maybe you'll be ready to deal with it. But if you wait too long, I'll tell her myself!_

Fang rolled his eyes. _Suuure you will, _he said to Zanna, _you try telling her and I'll give you a panic attack that will leave you hiding in a corner for a month._ They laughed silently, and they continued to converse telepathically until they were interrupted by the honk of a car horn outside.

"That's your ride," Fang said, feeling a bit sad. It seemed like they hadn't had enough time together. He could tell that Zanna was feeling the same way. "I'll have to visit soon."

"Okay." Zanna stepped towards Fang and wrapped her arms around him. Fang was stiff for a moment, but then his body relaxed and he hugged her back. "Thanks for everything," Zanna said, and then she quietly added, "I'll miss you."

Fang smiled. "I'll miss you too." Then they let go of each other and Zanna picked up her bags and went outside. Fang watched from the front window as Zanna and Dr. Martinez, who had apparently gone outside through the other door to say hello, talked to the gray-haired lady inside the car in the driveway and put Zanna's luggage in the trunk. Zanna climbed into the car and waved to Dr. Martinez as the car drove away. Zanna was finally gone.

Fang stood at the window for a few moments, finding it hard to believe she had left. However, he cheered up a bit when Max walked up to him and asked, "Hey, Fang, are you okay?"

Fang shrugged, briefly glancing away from the window to look at Max. He felt his heart beat speed up a little as he saw how beautiful Max looked. Max always looked beautiful to him.

"Anyways," Max went on, "you know that Itex building we just escaped? Heh, well, the Voice just reminded me that even though we put a big dent in their plans by converting their last assassin into a farm girl, we never did get around to _destroying_ them." Fang smirked; it was kind of funny, actually.

"What should we do?" he asked.

Max's face lit up with excitement and determination. "What do you think?" she told him, "We're going to go back and rip them into bite-sized pieces! Come and help me pack for the trip." Max's eyes met his for a brief moment, and then she turned and walked away. Fang sighed under his breath as he followed behind her, which was his version of acting love struck; Zanna had definitely inherited her beautiful eyes from her mother.

* * *

**And that concludes my story! I hope everyone enjoyed this fanfiction, and I hope you'll keep an eye on my future stories; I have some great stuff planned out, including:**

-An alternate timeline story that is _actually_ related to the series (imagine that!)

-A story which has the working title of 'Maximum Ride: Island Nation' (hehehe...)

-A crazy songfic I started writing at three in the morning (and I'm debating whether or not I should post it)

-A MR/Unwind crossover story (you don't have to read _Unwind_ for what I have planned, though I strongly recommend the book)

**And a couple other things that I'm working on. I'm not sure I'll get all of them done before March 15, but I'm going to try and do as many of them as possible. I already have that first story started, actually. Thank you everyone for all the positive feedback, and I'm glad you enjoyed the story!**

**So, until we post again! *waves goodbye***


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